Growing Microgreens

If you have cabin fever or are already in gardening mode but having a hard time waiting to enjoy fresh picked garden goodies, try growing microgreens! Not only are they power-packed with vitamins, but also they are quick and easy to grow…even inside by a sunny window!

Microgreens are seedlings of edible plants harvested less than 14 days after germination or when they sprout. Think of a microgreen as a tiny, convenient package of crazy amounts of nutrients. Actually, according to an article in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found that microgreens like cilantro, cabbage, and radish contain up to 40 times the nutrients than the mature plant. This means you wouldn’t want to eat a whole salad of microgreens, but should use them to accent your food… on sandwiches, in salad, on a pizza… you get the idea. So microgreens look pretty, are easy to grow, and are vitamin rock stars. Seems like a no-brainer, right?

Arugula microgreens have a spicy kick.

First, decide on the type of microgreen that you would like to grow. Any edible green can be grown as a microgreen. I’ve tried arugala, peas, beets, kale, spinach, herbs…the list goes on. I love the sweet flavor of pea micros and the spicy punch of arugula micros, so try a few and have fun experimenting!

Next, find a suitable container to grow them indoors. I love reusing salad containers as mini-greenhouses. If you don’t have one, you can just put plastic wrap on the top of a regular plastic container to create the same effect.

Now, prepare your soil by adding a bit of water to an organic potting soil and mix well. Just add enough that it is moist, but not soggy.

Sprinkle in your seeds close together and cover with soil to create the recommended soil depth for your particular seeds.

Close the lid or plastic wrap the top and place in a safe spot out of the sun. In 7-10 days (depending on the type of seeds) you should see sprouts – a sure sign that seeds have germinated and you are an awesome gardener. At that point, take the lid off, find a place that gets sunshine, and water when soil is dry.

Pea microgreens ready to harvest

Once the greens are about ½ tall, begin harvesting and enjoying them on your favorite foods! Hurrah to the small but mighty…microgreens!

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